Chen Ye had made up his mind to first rescue Tony Stark and make friends with him. Then, he would see if Tony had any interest in investing in Hell's Kitchen.
After that, he'd have a good chat with Uncle Kingpin and see if he could help guide his little gang and Hell's Kitchen through a transformation.
Yes, Kingpin was indeed the big boss of Hell's Kitchen in the Marvel universe, and he was a childhood friend of Chen Ye's deceased father in this life.
His father had sacrificed himself in a gang fight to protect Kingpin. Back then, Kingpin's body fat percentage hadn't reached 30%.
While Chen Ye was lost in thought, he didn't realize that a pair of eyes were watching him from across the street.
"The target is showing no unusual behavior for now."
"Received. I'll continue to observe." At this moment, a figure was watching Chen Ye from a residence opposite the restaurant. It was none other than Natasha, who was supposed to have left.
"Woof..." Dog Deadpool interrupted Chen Ye's thoughts.
"Chen Ye, it seems like someone is watching us. There's someone across the street and in other places too, more than one person. One of the scents is familiar, like someone who came by this afternoon," Dog Deadpool said.
Hearing Dog Deadpool's words, Chen Ye frowned, then let out a cold laugh. Without saying a word, he turned and walked back into the restaurant.
In his previous life, Chen Ye had no fondness for S.H.I.E.L.D., always monitoring people under the guise of maintaining peace on Earth. In reality, it was just a strong desire for control, wanting everything under their supervision.
Most of the trouble seemed to be caused by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents acting like they were invincible. Chen Ye wasn't the kind of person to be swayed by lust, no matter how beautiful Black Widow was. He couldn't stand them casually monitoring the good residents of Hell's Kitchen.
Chen Ye was truly disappointed. He had just started to connect with Tony Stark, and immediately someone came to monitor him. Now it's surveillance; what's next? Pretending to be the FBI and arresting him on some trumped-up charge?
If they really made any moves, Chen Ye wouldn't mind showing them the warm hospitality of Hell's Kitchen.
Slowly, more people began to fill the streets, and people started entering the Good Luck Restaurant one after another. Nearby residents were still strolling along the street.
Natasha looked at the bustling street in front of her and couldn't help but marvel, "If I didn't know for sure that I'm in Hell's Kitchen, I wouldn't believe this street could be so safe and quiet. It looks just like an ordinary residential community."
In a typical Hell's Kitchen, there would be few pedestrians on the streets after eight o'clock. This scene was impossible to see in other parts of Hell's Kitchen.
She could tell that the peace of this street was definitely related to the owner of the "Good Luck" restaurant she met this afternoon.
Almost everyone who passed by the restaurant would slow down and greet the dog lying at the entrance, "Hi, Wilson."
She found this very interesting. She hadn't expected that while undercover with Tony Stark, she would encounter such a pleasant surprise.
"Keep a close watch, Natasha. See how they manage to find Tony Stark. We still need some time to locate Tony Stark. This Chen Ye has two dangerous mutants around him, and he himself reportedly has some racial biases.
Damn it. Use any necessary means if needed. I'll send two more teams to monitor him. Your primary task is to focus on Tony Stark. He's a crucial part of my plan. Leave the rest to the other agents."
A raspy voice came through Natasha's earpiece.
"No problem, Director," she replied. The voice in her earpiece was none other than Marvel's Nick Fury.
Location: Afghanistan
The scorching sun beamed down from the sky, casting a golden hue over the vast desert landscape. At this moment, three figures and a dog were trudging through the sweltering heat.
"Chen Ye, is your dog... ugh, never mind. Can it really do this? How long are we going to be searching here?" Deadpool complained, clearly frustrated.
"Speaking of which, doesn't your mask protect against sand? At least you have a mask; we're going to get sunburned," Pietro grumbled, adjusting his goggles.
"Woof woof... in this area... it's so hot," Deadpool's dog panted, looking like it was about to collapse from thirst.
"Hang in there. If it were easy to find, we wouldn't be the ones getting paid for it. Do you have a better idea?" Chen Ye replied helplessly.
Although Chen Ye knew Tony Stark was somewhere in the Afghan desert, the area was just too vast.
...
The story goes back to the evening they met. Happy had brought a box once again to the "Good Luck Restaurant."
"Mr. Chen, here are the items you requested. These are all things Tony Stark has worn recently."
Inside the box were a pair of slippers, a watch, and a small tuft of hair.
Looking at these items, Chen Ye nodded in satisfaction and said, "No problem, with these, I can track down Tony Stark."
It seemed Pepper Potts took Chen Ye's request very seriously, or perhaps she was deeply concerned about Tony Stark. Not only did she have Happy deliver personal items, but she also collected hair that had fallen from Tony Stark's bed.
As expected of Marvel's official couple, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
Seeing that Chen Ye had no issues, Happy breathed a sigh of relief. He stepped forward, patted Chen Ye on the shoulder, and then bowed 90 degrees.
"Please, bring Mr. Tony Stark back. I'm counting on you! As Stark's bodyguard, I feel so useless!"
Seeing Happy's large frame and his expression filled with guilt and sincerity, Chen Ye solemnly replied, "Don't worry, wait for my good news. Mr. Tony Stark's disappearance isn't your fault. You're a good person, a good bodyguard. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Happy."
Indeed, even if you were there, could you handle the Ten Rings? Tony Stark has value to them, but you, Happy, have none. You'd probably be taken out by the Ten Rings in no time.
"Thank you for the reassurance. You're a good person, Chen, though your fees are a bit steep," Happy said with a smile.
At that moment, a pleasant voice echoed in Chen Ye's mind.
"Ding"
"Congratulations, host, for successfully adding Happy Hogan as a friend."
"Acquired attribute: Driving Skill lv6"
"Would you like to integrate it now?"
The system prompted.
It seemed Happy wasn't entirely useless after all.
"Integrate it immediately, system."
A surge of driving knowledge flooded into Chen Ye's mind, and many professional driving techniques began to surface in his thoughts. Chen Ye felt his driving skills had improved significantly.
Chen Ye felt that the plump figure before him...